Auchentoshan Valinch 2012

It's a good idea to give this one some time after you've first peeled off the plastic and uncorked the bottle: right off the bat, this is fiery and young, but a few weeks of oxidization go a long way. Still certainly not for the faint of heart (if you're a less experienced drinker, you'll want water or an ice cube to make any sense of this), but there's actually a really lovely, elegant spirit hidden beneath the fumes and the flames. Strong smell of lemons and lemon zest, it's herbal and minty, old-school cough drops (camphor?), vanilla, barley sugar, light oak, and white grape/grappa. Taste, sans water, echoes those notes, along with some serious heat--a lot of raw ingredient flavours, slightly syrupy texture. But water actually softens things up while still retaining the core flavours (along with a nice cinnamon hearts-type tingle). It's far from my favourite whisky in my collection, but it's a really nice example of how ingredients come together and what raw, uncut spirit tastes like.

Colour - pale straw Nose - ethanol, custard, apple, banana toffee pepper, quite astringent although the vanilla calms this slightly Taste - ethanol, baked apple, sultanas & cinnamon? Crème caramel, muscovado sugar possibly candied orange peel Finish - baked apples, salted caramel, white pepper + candy floss

Fruity and spicy. May want a few spots of water to really bring out its complexity. Fun whisky to start the night with.

I really love this one. Richer than their entry level whiskies, lots more complexity, many more directions of flavor.

Great body with smooth finish, thoroughly enjoying it. Smooth and sweet 26th bushwakker scotch tasting.

Honey. Cask strength so add water. A good dose of water makes this whisky come to life. Clean finish.